Why So Slow?
The Effects of Unconscious Bias on the Inclusion of Women in STEM
Jennifer Sheridan, PhD
Eve Fine, PhD
April 30, 2013
Why?
• Unconscious bias • Tendency of our minds to evaluate individuals based on characteristics (real or imagined) of the group to which they belong
• Consequences for both the evaluator, and the person being evaluated
Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Three Central Ideas
1. Our minds are more than the sum of the conscious parts
- Implicit processes
2. Unintended thoughts can contradict beliefs
- Prejudice as a habitual response
3. Acting consistently with beliefs can require more than good intentions
- Breaking the prejudice habit
Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Prejudice and Habits of Mind
Ordinary mental operations that serve us quite well in most circumstances can fail our intentions Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Essential Process…
• Translation of the world outside to a mental experience inside - Guided by our experience and expectations
- Affects our perceptions, judgments, and behavior
• This translation process is not infallible
- A variety of habits of mind, born out of experience, can separate our experience from reality Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Stroop Color Naming Task
Compatible Trials
Incompatible
(interference) Trials
RED
BLACK
BROWN
GREEN
YELLOW
BLUE
RED
BLACK
BROWN
GREEN
YELLOW
BLUE
Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Construction Worker Experiment
Measuring Unconscious Bias:
Gender‐and‐Science IAT
Logic of the IAT • IAT provides a measure of the strength of associations between mental categories such as “male and female” and attributes such as “science and humanities” disciplines • Strength of association between each category and attribute is reflected in the time it takes to respond to the stimuli while trying to respond rapidly
• Trial Types
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IAT Effect Incongruent Trials
Congruent Trials
Reaction time in ms
300
250
200
150
100
169
ms
IAT Effect:
Incongruent – Congruent
50
0
The larger the difference, the greater
the bias in associating men with
science and women with humanities
Implicit Gender‐Science Stereotypes
Female Respondents
8000
16000
7000
14000
6000
12000
70%
5000
Number of Respondents
Number of Respondents
Male Respondents
4000
3000
2000
8000
6000
4000
1000
0
71%
10000
2000
11%
-100
-50
0
150
388
Im plicit Science=Male / Arts=Fem ale Stereotyping
0
10%
-100
-50
0
150
388
Im plicit Science=Male / Arts=Fem ale Stereotyping
Implicit Gender‐Leadership Stereotypes
64%
11%
59%
11%
Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Characteristics of Implicit Biases
1. Ordinary
– Stem from our natural tendency to form associations to help organize our social worlds
2. Learned from culture
– Reflect the “thumbprint of culture” on our minds
3. Pervasive
– Prevalent among men and women, blacks and whites, young and old, etc.
4. Often conflict with consciously endorsed beliefs
– Dissociation between implicit and explicit responses
Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Characteristics of Implicit Biases
5. Consequential – Predict behavior better than (and often at odds with) explicit measures
– Constrain the opportunities of targets of implicit bias
Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Shift in Conceptualization of Prejudice
Old Framework = Prejudice is bad so if I think or act with bias, I am a bad person
New Framework = Prejudiced thoughts and actions are habits that we all have and breaking these habits requires more than good intentions
Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Unconscious bias in evaluation settings
• Most of us routinely rely on unconscious assumptions even though we intend to be fair and believe that we are fair.
• Human brain works by categorizing people, objects and events around us ‐‐ this allows us to quickly and efficiently organize and retrieve information. It is an essential cognitive function for managing a vast amount of sensory input.
• But – when evaluating people we can be led astray by our tendency to categorize people – and we tend to do so automatically on the following dimensions: – Race/Ethnicity, Sex, and Age.
Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Unconscious bias in evaluation processes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Applications/CVs/Résumés
Reference Letters
Job Interviews
Teaching Evaluations
Tenure and promotion
Honors and awards
Leadership positions
Student admissions
Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
How is the research on bias and prejudice conducted?
• Randomized, controlled studies (“Goldberg” design)
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Give each group of evaluators pictures, words, or applications with a racial or gender indicator Compare evaluations
• Real life studies
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Evaluate actual resumés/curriculum vitae, job performance, letters of recommendations, call backs for interviews, etc.
Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Unconscious bias in evaluation settings
Evaluating Applications, CV’s, Resumes –
•
•
•
•
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Moss‐Racusin, C. et al. (2012). “Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favor male students.” PNAS 109: 16474‐16479. Steinpreis, RE., Anders, KA, and Ritzke, D. (1999). "The Impact of Gender on the Review of the Curricula Vitae of Job Applicants and Tenure Candidates: A National Empirical Study.” Sex Roles 41: 509 ‐528.
Bertrand, M. and Mullainathan, S. (2004). "Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market
Derous, E., Hanh Nguyen, H., and Ryan, AM. (2009)."Hiring Discrimination Against Arab Minorities: Interactions between Prejudice and Job Characteristics." Human Performance
22: 297‐320.
Tilcsik, A. (2011). Pride and prejudice: Employment discrimination against openly gay men in the United States. American Journal of Sociology, 117: 586‐626. Women and members of minority groups rated as less competent or less likely to be hired or called back for interviews. Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Gender bias and Science
Moss‐Racusin, C. et al. (2012). “Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favor male students.” PNAS 109: 16474‐16479. • 127 Faculty from Biology, Chemistry and Physics departments participated
• Evaluated an application randomly assigned a male or female name for:
•
•
•
•
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Competence
Hireability
Likeability
Starting Salary
Willingness to provide mentoring
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Gender bias and Science
Moss‐Racusin, C. et al. (2012). “Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favor male students.” PNAS 109: 16474‐16479. Results
• Evaluated female applicants as more likeable but less competent
• Were more likely to hire male applicants
• Were more likely to give male applicants substantially higher starting salaries
• Were more likely to offer mentoring to male students
Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Moss‐Racusin et al. 2012.
Data
Selected forms of bias
• Expectancy Bias
Expecting certain behaviors or characteristics in individuals based on stereotypes or assumptions about the social category to which they belong.
• Presumed competence/incompetence
Making judgments about the competence or incompetence of individuals on the basis of stereotypes about the group to which they belong.
• Role Congruity/Incongruity
The fit (or lack of fit) between group stereotypes and occupations or occupational roles.
Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Selected forms of bias Role Congruity/Incongruity
Men
Women
• Strong
• Decisive
• Intelligent
• Logical
• Unemotional
• Good at math
• Nurturing
• Nice
• Supportive
• Sympathetic
• Emotional
• Verbal
“Scientist”
?
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Selected forms of bias (Cont.)
• In‐group preferences
Being more comfortable interacting with people who share your group identity/identities.
• Microaggressions
“… brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional,
that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative … slights and insults toward [members of underrepresented groups].” Derald Wing Sue, Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life (2010)
• Stereotype Threat
Members of negatively stereotyped groups may underperform when reminded of their group membership
Copyright © 2013 by WISELI and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Do not use, copy, distribute, or post without written permission from WISELI (email: wiseli@engr.wisc.edu)
Selected forms of bias Stereotype Threat
• NPR Audioclip: How stereotypes can drive women to quit science
• Good, J. (2010). “The Effects of Gender Stereotypic and Counter‐stereotypic Textbook Images on Science Performance.” J. of Social Psychology 150(2):132‐147.
• Stereotype‐consistent images (male scientists) – male students score significantly higher than female students.
• Counter‐stereotype images (female scientists) – female students scored significantly higher than they did when images were stereotype consistent; male student scored lower – though not statistically significant.
• Mixed gender images – no difference between male and female students scores.
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Good, J. et al., 2010
Performance Data
Next Session
• Minimizing the influence of unconscious bias
• Other strategies for advancing and promoting women in science
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